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Linus the Lionhearted
Linus the Lionhearted is an American animated television series featuring the character of the same name. Linus was created in 1959, by the Ed Graham advertising agency, originally as a series of ads for General Foods Post Cereals. At first, Linus was the spokesman for the short-lived Post Cereals "Heart of Oats" (a Cheerios imitation). Eventually, the lion was redesigned and reintroduced in 1963, to sell Crispy Critters, which featured Linus on the box. The ads were so popular that a television series was created in 1964 (with General Foods as the sponsor), and ran on the CBS network until 1966, then reruns (in color) aired on ABC from 1966, until it was canceled in 1969. History with the Macy's Parade Because of the popularity of the show during the 1964 period, Post Cereals commissioned Goodyear to make a Linus the Lionhearted balloon for The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the same year to promote the show. The balloon was 55 feet tall, 65 feet long, 25 feet wide and was filled with 10,300 cubic feet of helium. The head was 18 feet tall, and each arm was 13 feet long. It took three men, a week, and 70 gallons to paint the 500 square yards of fabric used to make him. Altogether, it took 1,000 man-hours to make him. To announce the balloon, Ed Graham Productions and General Foods produced an episode that same year in which Linus, Sugar Bear and Billie Bird help to inflate the Balloon, with Billie Bird having trouble inflating it. Linus eventually helps him fill the balloon, which ends in success, The three characters hold the balloon, as the balloon prepares to make its debut flight. The hard work paid off. The balloon instantly became a crowd favorite and because of this, it kept appearing in the parade well over a decade after his show ended in 1969, until retiring 1983 after 20 parades. The Balloon made an additional appearance in the 1985 Macy's-Egleston Christmas Parade in Atlanta. After an eight-year absence from the parade, he returned to march once again in 1991 with other parade favorites that were previously retired such as Raggedy Ann and Happy Dragon to celebrate the parade's 65th anniversary. Unlike Happy Dragon, he did not return for the 1992 parade (alongside Raggedy Ann). Linus will likely not reappear again due to his extreme obscurity and being a retired mascot. Sometime after this, the balloon was disposed of due to wear-and-tear and being unable to hold helium, with only a framed piece of his chest still existing. The frame was shown at a Macy's Parade Exhibit that toured across America in 2006 to celebrate the parade's 80th anniversary. After the tour ended, the frame was removed and now resides in the parade chief executive officer's office at the Macy's Headquarters. Music * Linus the Lionhearted Theme Song (1964) * Generic Macy's Music (1965-1983, 1991) Incidents * In 1971, Linus, along with every other balloon, could not be inflated due to extreme weather. * In 1982, Linus faced turbulence during the route due to the winds, but he was not damaged * In 1991, Linus was pushed by a wind gust at Herald Square but wasn't damaged. Defects * In 1973 and 1980, his right foot was a bit bent. * In 1978, his muzzle was deflated. * In 1983, Linus's right foot was a little deflated. Gallery Gallery: Linus The Lionhearted Category:1964 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Commercial Characters Category:Cartoon Characters Category:Comeback Balloon in the Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:1960s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Goodyear Balloons Category:Balloons that partially survive